Diane Sawyer Signs Off from ABC World News

Without much pomp and circumstance, Diane Sawyer quietly bid adieu to her 5-year role as World News anchor Wednesday night.

"I just want you to know what a deep privilege it has been to sit in the anchor chair these years … where Peter Jennings created a signature of such curiosity and courage," she said while wrapping up the evening's show.

"I am not slowing down, but gearing up in a new way, already at work on some of the stories that take you into the real lives around us, the ones we rarely get to see," she said, also giving a nod to David Muir, who will be taking over starting Sept. 2.

"So one last time, it is good to know you were watching tonight … I thank you and I'll see you right back here at ABC News very soon," she concluded.

Sawyer is certainly leaving the program on a high note. In her final week, the show ranked number one in the news demo and won back-to-back sweeps among adults 25-54 for the first time in seven years.